Have you ever heard about the abandoned balloon which in September of 1888 landed in Cumberland, R. I., with a note that read, “We have met death in the clouds.” Or the “top secret” story related to a WWII fighter plane that vanished from formation on a routine training flight over Glocester? Or how a chance meeting between two old friends led to two aviation catastrophes? And how did an emergency landing at Smithfield’s first airport in 1932 play a vital role to the Allies in winning World War II?

Author and historian Jim Ignasher will present these and other tales related to Rhode Island’s aviation history.

Part of the Smith-Appleby Historic Lecture Series